Attribution and Person Perception
Introduced| English |
|---|
| Attribution/ətrɪˈbjuːʃn/ |
| dispositional attribution/ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃənl ətrɪˈbjuːʃn/ |
| situational attribution/ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃənl ətrɪˈbjuːʃn/ |
| fundamental attribution error/ˌfʌndəˈmentl ətrɪˈbjuːʃn ˈerə/ |
| Actor-observer bias/ˈæktə ɒbˈzɜːvə ˈbaɪəs/ |
| Self-serving bias/self ˈsɜːvɪŋ ˈbaɪəs/ |
| Explanatory style/ekˈsplænətəri staɪl/ |
| Locus of control/ˈləʊkəs ɒv kənˈtrəʊl/ |
| internal/ɪnˈtɜːnl/ |
| external/ekˈstɜːnl/ |
| mere exposure effect/mɪə ekˈspəʊʒə ɪˈfekt/ |
| self-fulfilling prophecy/self fʊlˈfɪlɪŋ ˈprɒfəsi/ |
| Social comparison/ˈsəʊʃl kəmˈpærɪsn/ |
When you are late it is the traffic; when they are late they are careless
- The same behaviour gets two different explanations depending on whose it is.
- That asymmetry is not random — it is predictable and has a name.
- Attribution 归因 is how people explain behaviour, their own and others'.
Two places to put the cause
- A dispositional attribution 内在归因 places the cause in the person — their character or ability.
- A situational attribution 情境归因 places it in the circumstances.
- Every explanation of behaviour lands in one of these two, which is why the pair is worth memorising.
Predictable biases
- The fundamental attribution error 基本归因错误 over-uses dispositional causes for other people's behaviour.
- Actor-observer bias 行动者-观察者偏差 is the asymmetry: situational for yourself, dispositional for others.
- Self-serving bias 自利偏差 credits success to yourself and blames failure on circumstances.
Dispositional, situational, or a bias?
Sort each explanation by what it does.
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to...
It applies specifically to others' behaviour; the self half is actor-observer bias.
Select all the attribution biases the CED names.
The spacing effect is a memory finding, not an attribution bias.
The fundamental attribution error is specifically about explaining other people's behaviour. Applying it to your own is the other half of actor-observer bias. The exam distinguishes them, so name whose behaviour is being explained.
Seeing outcomes as caused by your own actions is an ____ locus of control.
Internal locus attributes outcomes to your own actions; external to outside forces.
Explanatory style and locus of control
- Explanatory style 解释风格 is a person's habitual pattern of attribution — optimistic or pessimistic.
- Locus of control 控制点 is whether you see outcomes as caused by your own actions (internal 内控) or by outside forces (external 外控).
- Both are stable tendencies, not one-off judgements.
The mere exposure effect means repeated exposure alone can increase liking.
No argument or reward is needed — familiarity itself does the work.
Match each person-perception effect to what produces it.
Familiarity, expectation and comparison each shape perception in a different way.
How we form impressions
- The mere exposure effect 单纯曝光效应 means repeated exposure alone increases liking.
- A self-fulfilling prophecy 自我实现预言 occurs when your belief about someone draws out the behaviour you expected.
- Social comparison 社会比较 is evaluating yourself against others rather than against a standard.
A teacher told that certain students are "about to bloom" treats them differently, and those students improve — though the names were chosen at random. The belief produced the outcome: a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Attributions are dispositional or situational. The fundamental attribution error, actor-observer bias and self-serving bias are the predictable distortions. Explanatory style and locus of control are stable patterns, and mere exposure, self-fulfilling prophecy and social comparison shape how we see others.